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Bloomington PD Chief talks Operation Creep, Mexico, social media break
Bloomington Police Department Chief Booker Hodges appeared on FOX 9's All Day with Rob Olson on Wednesday. He talked about the 16 arrests in Operation Creep, his experience with the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Initiative at the Mexico border and why he took a 30-day break from social media.
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - A day after announcing the arrests of 16 men for allegedly soliciting sex from a minor in "Operation Creep," Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges appeared Wednesday on FOX 9’s All Day.
‘Operation Creep’ nets 16 arrests
What we know:
Hodges said the Bloomington Police Department worked with several Twin Cities law enforcement agencies over three days to put together "Operating Creep." It resulted in the arrests of 16 men, ranging in age from 18 to 49, who showed up to a location thinking they were going to have sex with a 17-year-old girl.
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Booker Hodges on Operation Creep: 'You've got to watch your kids'
Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges talked Wednesday on FOX 9's All Day about the 16 men arrested as part of Operation Sting, thinking they were meeting a 17-year-old girl for sex.
Among the suspects arrested were a civilian employee with the Department of Homeland Security, an employee with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, a Metro Transit bus driver and an employee with the Brown County Historical Society.
Hodges’ main message to parents? Keep an eye on your kids on their phones.
"These folks know what they’re doing, every single one of them is told it’s a 17-year-old that they’re coming after. In a lot of cases, these folks will admit they know it’s wrong, they don’t want to get caught, they know what they’re doing when they come looking for a 17-year-old kid," Hodges said. "It's all walks, unfortunately, of human society. I don’t understand it and if I did, I’d have to quit. You’ve got to watch your kids. These are grown people showing up in the middle of the day believing they’re going to have sex with a 17-year-old. It’s unbelievable. Watch your kids online."
Booker Hodges visits U.S.-Mexico border
Why you should care:
Hodges recently visited the U.S.-Mexico border through the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Initiative, which he is active in. He got to see first-hand the wall being built at the border, and a highway being built by the Mexican government at the border.
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Blooming Chief Booker Hodges talks visit to U.S.-Mexico border
Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges joined FOX 9's All Day on Wednesday and among the topics was his visit to the U.S.-Mexico border with the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Initiative. He saw first-hand how immigrants are getting around the border wall for drug and human trafficking.
He also saw an underground tunnel that allows for illegal immigration and drug trafficking. Hodges says he works closely with airport officials on drug trafficking, as the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has more cash related to drugs leaving than any other airport in the country.
"We have a lot of drug trafficking and human trafficking activity that comes from the southwest border that comes directly to Minnesota. To see the types of tactics they’re using, it was a very valuable trip," Hodges said. "We don’t make these drugs in Minnesota, they’re getting here somehow, so what do we try to do stop it?"
Hodges takes social media hiatus
Dig deeper:
Hodges said he and his department recently took a 30-day break from social media. It was heavy summer and fall, with two Minnesota state lawmakers being shot, the Annunciation mass shooting, urban street violence that he says started on social media and Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
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Bloomington Chief Booker Hodges explains 30-day social media break
Bloomington PD Chief Booker Hodges joined FOX 9's All Day on Wednesday to discuss a number of topics, including his recent 30-day break from social media.
He said it was time to take a break.
"Those of us in law enforcement, we have to deal with the aftermath of a lot of things that take place on social media. It was like, OK, we need to take a step back here and take a break, take a step back for 30 days. We have to have some decency."